O Melhor Amigo do Papai Noel

It is difficult to be too severe about this film. Sure, it is not the best Christmas film but it has so many similitarities with the classic old films of genre than it becomes, scene by scene, more than acceptable. It is a film for the kids , with dogs, children, toyshop and Santa , elves and humor and fair punishment against bad characters, a lovely Mrs Christmas and a lot of unrealistic situations. For me, the only problem remains the make-up for the poor Richar Riehle who becomes a sort of plastic Santa Claus. But , sure, the flavour of old fashion Christmas film and the dog saves a lot.

I loved the movie "The Search for Santa Paws." Tears were rolling down my face so fast. My favorite part of the film is when Santa Paws (voice of Mitchel Musso) and Santa (Richard Riehle) come to Quinn (Kaitlyn Mayer) and Will's (Madison Pettis) new home. They were adopted by the Hucklebuckles but Quinn had lost something important to her. Santa Paws gave Quinn her mother's ornament that had been taken from her. In the story, Santa Paws and Santa are best friends. They both have a special crystal to keep them alive but when in New York, Santa is hit by a taxi, he loses his memory and his crystal. It is taken by a homeless guy named Gus. Santa was heading off to find a new ambassador for New York because Mr. Hucklebuckle, who ran Hucklebuckle Toys, had died. Meanwhile, Hucklebuckle Toys was being run by his grandson, James Huckle (John Ducey) and wife, Kate (Bonnie Somerville). But you see not everything is what you see. James wants to sell the store, but his grandfather has one condition – he had to make a profit the first Christmas he ran it. So did he? Well, you'll have to buy The Search for Santa Paws today to find out. I recommend this film to everyone. It showed me the meaning of Christmas. It will make laugh, cry, and even smile. It is a heartwarming tale to watch on Christmas!!! You can give it as a gift, a movie to help your kids get in the spirit, or even a bedtime story. So stop reading this review right now and go buy "The Search for Santa Paws." The whole family will enjoy this film. I know --I loved it! Reviewed by Lauren Boxer, age 12, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

This is another entry in the Buddies film series, a spinoff from the "Air Bud" movies. This doesn't even have "Buddies" in the title, nor does it seem to have any of the original characters! This movie features Santa losing his memory and then becoming a mall Santa. A stuffed dog that he brought to life has to help him. I actually am glad they didn't focus too much on the animals. That lip movement can get very creepy.

Good movies like "Homeward Bound" and "Babe: Pig In The City" handled talking animals much better. One distracting part was the horrible special effects with the reindeer. They were so fake looking and creepy! At least Santa getting amnesia was kind of original. I'm glad there weren't any dog farts in this. They're too common in the Buddies films. **

...at the vociferously negative reviews... and so many of them. It is almost as though some folks are ganging up on the rest of us. Calm down. Not every movie is for everyone. Just because it has a Christmas motif doesn't make it universal. And it also doesn't mean it's a horrible film.

I found The Search for Santa Paws to be very charming. If some viewers are looking for Christmas stories that are entirely upbeat and positive, then no, this isn't for them. However, others of us have different expectations. Reading reactions from reviewers running off with their hair on fire because the film didn't live up to their standards is very misleading. (I don't care for films in the tradition of Bad Santa, so I simply avoid them. I don't come unglued.)

Now then, that having been said, several characters could have used some more development. Mr Huckle was alternatively both unsympathetic and silly for no apparent reason, while his wife seemed mostly oblivious to his mood swings. The orphanage matron was just relentlessly and boringly obstinate. If she had even tried to be really mean rather than just persistently irritable, we might have learned something about how she even got into the orphan business. (She openly complains that it doesn't pay very well.) Mrs Claus was mostly sycophantic. Surely, she has a lot to say about how the North Pole operation is conducted. We needed to hear that. And Quinn - who is apparently a regular in these movies - is just annoying. Her diction is terrible, and her acting is wooden. (There are plenty of good child actresses. Go find one.)

Still, overall, the film is engaging. It certainly doesn't deserve to be castigated just because the viewer wanted something else. What I mostly read here weren't reviews. That were just complaints.

Watched this with our grandchildren aged eight and four and they were absolutely enthralled! I can understand why the other reviewer criticised it, if you compare it to the Santa Clause ones, then it certainly falls short but then most Christmas films would, wouldn't they?. Just because a film is not the best one in a category doesn't mean that its a failure. This one certainly isn't! Don't forget you are dealing with children here and they have not seen the hundreds of Christmas films that we adults have. I would guess that they are not watching to see whether the dog's voices are in sync with their mouths, either.... My grandchildren loved it. I won't hear a word against it. Nuff said?